EU Historical Deal: World’s First Law on Regulating AI

December 11, 2023

Context: The European Union (EU) member states reached political agreement on the world’s first set of comprehensive laws to regulate the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

EU Takes Lead on Regulating AI

The EU becomes the very first continent to set clear rules for the use of AI.
The European Parliament will now vote on the proposed AI Act early next year, and the legislation is likely to come into force by 2025.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the theory and development of computer systems capable of performing tasks that historically required human intelligence, such as recognizing speech, making decisions, and identifying patterns.

AI is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide variety of technologies, including machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing (NLP).
Concerns: privacy, system bias, and violation of intellectual property rights.

Must Read: Global AI Summit London 2023

What does the World’s First Law on Regulating AI Propose?

The EU Framework: Divides AI use into 4 Risk Classes:
- Banning Applications: Some applications will be largely banned, including the deployment of facial recognition on a mass scale, with some exemptions for law enforcement.
  - AI applications focused on behavioral control will be also banned
- High-risk applications: High-risk applications such as the use of AI tools for self-driving cars will be allowed, but subject to certification and an explicit provision for the backend techniques to be made open to public scrutiny.
- Medium risk category: eg: AI chatbots, can be deployed without restrictions, but with detailed documentation of the tech know-how and user transparency.
- Limited risk category: To comply with minimal transparency requirements that would allow users to make informed decisions. This includes AI systems that generate or manipulate image, audio, or video content eg: deepfakes.

Also Read: What Are Deepfakes? – Issues, Challenges, And Solutions

Safeguards:
- Adoption by law enforcement agencies: Governments can only use real-time biometric surveillance in public areas when there are serious threats involved, such as terrorist attacks.
- Consumers’ rights: Consumers are empowered to file a complaint against any perceived violations.

Significance

Drive economic innovation: It will act as a launch pad for EU start-ups and researchers to lead the global AI race.
Transparency and accountability: The AI Act would help the development of technology that does not threaten people’s safety and rights.
It will act as a template and model law for other countries to follow.

News source: Indian Express